When the last album was released from the Sri Lankan/British superstar, Mathangi “Maya” Arulpragasam (aka: M.I.A.), I found myself sitting alone at a local bar and sucking back a full pitcher of Mac and Jacks African Amber ale to my head.  I had been working a lot at the time and had heard that the local spot was doing their own version of a CD release/listening party for the album with some little giveaways.  I decided that I would take that opportunity to go down there by myself, drink a pitcher of beer, and check out the new tracks.  Hardly anybody showed up and, although I didn’t win the album itslef, I did go home with a boxload of KALA stickers an shirts that they were unable to dump off on anyone else.  This resulted in one of our first giveaways that Monster Fresh had ever held.

Sean Prince and I had gone to seen her perform a couple of years prior as the opening act for LCD Soundsystem.  That show took place at the Showbox in Seattle, a venue that both acts have likely outgrown by this point in their individual careers.  The whole show was pretty amazing, but it was actually more of a back up plan for us, as her previous performance at Chop Suey had been canceled due to the usual problems surrounding the artist: Green Card issues and the fear of potential terrorism.  These days, it seems like LCD Soundsystem has gotten fairly huge and M.I.A. has, by all accounts, become a legitimate “superstar“.  The irony of someone like myself writing reviews about anything related to pop-culture is that I am pretty much oblivious to what is or is not popular these days.  I can go to a show thinking that an artist is “underground“, whatever that means, only to find out that the venue is completely sold out.  Then, I can go to a show with the fear that it will be packed and only find 6 people in the audience.  I didn’t realize that M.I.A . was so fucking huge until I saw her performing with Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I. and Kanye West, while she was pregnant at last years Grammy Awards.  My frame of reference was coming from a time when both she and LCD had only just released their first albums.  LCD Soundsystem‘s 3rd studio album is set to drop next month in the UK and now, Arular herself is letting out some samples of what her own latest effort is going to sound like as well. (more…)

Popularity: 2% [?]

Before going to sleep last night, I heard that another great loss in the music world had taken place.  As reported by Rolling Stone, singer/songwriter/producer, Mark Linkous (aka: Sparklehorse) took his own life yesterday (March 6th, 2010).  According to the magazine, this has been confirmed by the late-artist’s publicist and the following statements have been officially released by Linkous‘ family.

“It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member, Mark Linkous, took his own life today,”

“We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There’s a heaven and there’s a star for you.”

I laid down with the assumption that I would wake up to endless posts and messages regarding Linkous‘ untimely death, but this doesn’t seem to be the case.  I generally wouldn’t put too much thought into reporting news such as this, but that’s not because I don’t feel that it’s important.  It’s usually because I don’t feel that it’s important for ME to report it, because sites swarm on to the stories of dead celebrities the way that buzzards swarm onto the bodies themselves.  They don’t even wait for them to get cold, “Breaking News is Breaking News!“  People will always get information like this, because it’s posted everywhere.  Today, however, I fear that the loss of  such a vital entity in the music world may risk being overshadowed by something as trivial and worthless as an award show.

(more…)

Popularity: 1% [?]

I just don’t get it.  Why the separation between white and black culture in America?  We have so, so many things that we celebrate in common; it’s just that we haven’t searched youtube deep enough to find them.  I found this today and I offer it as proof that black people have as much utter disdain, disgust and hatred for the dead as we honkies do.

Sure, the thunder clap cannot raise the dead, but it can definitely raise awareness.  If we can all just look past the prejudices that divide us and into these beautiful gyrating lumps of liberty, I am more than confident that the reflection will be red, white and blue.  Not black and white.

This video was originally posted on Worldstarhiphop.com, a site that can boast an “Official Honeys” page, which features a collection of amateur, pornstar, and model ass shaking videos.  Below is the original caption that they posted on WSHH, along with the cemetery footage above (the caption is unedited for grammar…. clearly):

One of our viewers sent us this footage. They reports “Some kids shakin they ass on people graves. SMH what has this world come to?”

Popularity: 1% [?]

For the most part, I hate blogs.  I hate it when people ask me how my “BLOG” is doing because, in my delusional mind, I’m writing for a magazine.  However, the internet today is all about immediacy.  In a print publication, people don’t mind reading a 4 page interview.  On the internet  you’re “supposed to” post interviews comprised of the same 5 questions that everyone has already asked in every other publication.  I know because commenters consistently inform me about what we are “supposed” to be doing.  We don’t throw up 20+ posts a day, because we have no interest in quantity over quality.  You should be able to learn something new and, if I’m going to research 40 different sources that I find interesting, they’re all getting crammed into one article.  Sorry, I don’t give a fuck.  It’s rare that we put up short posts unless we really think the subject matter is important.  Michael Jackson‘s death is something that we feel strongly about.

I’m pretty honest with myself about the likelihood of MonsterFresh.com ever generating any money;  It’s probably never going to happen.  Sure, we get press releases and scoops for new high profile projects and shit everyday, but they’re easy to get and most of them don’t interest me so we don’t post them.  If you want to generate traffic and make some loot, the formula is easy.  For a music focused blog, you can simply post a Youtube video from a band performing on a late night program the night before.  You can also make posts very simply by posting generic shit like, “Radiohead planning to do album with Justin Timberlake” etc.  Just add a photo and you’re done; instant journalist!  For art, you can just swipe an artist’s images from their page and post them without providing any links, credit, or information.  It will get picked up by a site like DIGG.com or Stumbleupon and people will eat that shit up like crazy.  People like to look at pictures…. it’s easier for everyone that way.  Let the mounds of shit bury everything worth reading.  Keep it superficial.  Put anything and everything up that people are remotely interested in, from Beyonce to Travis Barker, and use no discretion whatsoever.  Have no credibility either (you can’t have both).  The greatest news is that, in this day and age, you can even become a celebrity by talking about other celebrities enough. (more…)

Popularity: 2% [?]

It’s been a suspenseful news day as far as MJ is concerned.  In fact, it’s been a bit of a Thriller.  This afternoon Jackson went into cardiac arrest and was rushed to a hospital by fire dept. paramedics.  At 2:12pm today, the LA times updated their report as follows: (more…)

Popularity: 1% [?]

*original post created 12-11-08 for a sketchy website that breaches contracts and refuses to pay their freelancers in a timely manner*

I know how reckless you crazy kids are today, with your LSD and your magic mushrooms. You smoke your salvia divinorum, get “digital” with your delinquent adolescent cronies off that Dimethyltryptamine, and liquid dance all night to happy-hardcore beats while hopped up on synthetic mescaline and designer drugs likes 2C-I.

Nobody’s going to tell you what to do, with your teenage attitudes and misguided views of invincibility. I’m not even going to try to attempt it.  What I am going to do, however, is break a few things down for you as far as hallucinogens go.

1) The environment is possibly the most important factor in how your night is going to turn out.

2) There are some locations that will increase the likelihood of your experience going South fast.

3) The “best” places to trip out are also often the “worst” and vice-versa.

Here are some of the riskiest spots to get spun out and act-a-fool in the Seattle area. (more…)

Popularity: 4% [?]